Path of a Hero
by Seeker of Stars
Summary: He dreamed of being a hero, just like his idol. With only his will and determination to guide him, he will take on any challenges and hardships that comes his way. Watch as a young boy takes on his dream and fulfill a promise he made to his father! AU/Alt Natsu.
1. Prologue The Legend

******Disclaimer: I do own Fairy Tail. That privileged goes to Hiro Mashima.**

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**The Path of a Hero**

Prologue – The Legend

The kingdom of Fiore was a neutral country inhabited by 17 million people where magic is part of everyday life. People who practice the use of magic are known as mages and they are further classified by the guilds in which they are associated with.

Mages use their Magic Power or MP for short, to perform remarkable feats like conjuring fire out of thin air, manipulating the very air itself and even casting illusions with only the most basic of movements, the simplest of gestures. For mages, the possibilities of magic is simply too immense to fathom. But you might ask: If magic is so widespread, wouldn't that make Fiore one of the most powerful kingdoms in Earthland?

The answer is simple; not all of its population are able to use magic. Out of all of Fiore's inhabitants, only ten per cent of them are able to wield the power of magic. The reason? Magic requires concentration and talent to utilize it and only a handful of its population meets that criteria, although there have been reports of people who have no talents in magic being able to fully utilize it through training and sheer determination.

Magic is omnipotent. It can be used for good as well as for evil. It all comes down to the nature of the person wielding it. One mage would use his magic to help others and bring happiness while another might use his magic for his own selfish greed and desires. These two ways of thinking usually end up clashing which results in small conflicts within Fiore. Mages against mages, ideals against ideals, good against evil…

But only one mage had the infamy to be remembered even until today. A mage that is the symbol of evil and darkness. A mage that had the power to plunge Fiore into chaos for many years – power that could have brought prosperity and peace.

The mage's name, **Zeref the Black Mage**, a name that struck fear even today. A master of the fearsome Black Arts, he plunged Fiore into war and chaos for many years with his hordes of demons. The kingdom of Fiore was engulfed in a bloody war against Zeref and his followers, causing the loss of thousands of lives in the process on both sides. This war that continued to plague Fiore for six long years was later called **The War of the Magi** by historians.

This bloody war had begun in the year X330 and cost the lives of almost a millions mages and civilians. The flames of war were eventually smothered…by the emergence of a **Reinhardt the Exalted **in X336,who held powers that could rival even Zeref himself.

This heroic mage's history is shrouded in mystery. Scholars today are still searching for anything that is related to him, be it a relic or some ancient text. All that is known of this forgotten mage is that he was a Sword mage and possessed a divine lost magic known as **Heavenly Sword Magic**. Relics that had been linked to him are regarded as treasures that are priceless, not because it held no value but because it's worth is simply…unimaginable. The hero appeared when Fiore needed him most and battled **Zeref** in a final decisive battle to end the turmoil once and for all.

For five days and five nights, the whole of Fiore witnessed the clash of two great mages. Flashes of light could be seen miles away from the centre of battle, storms brewed all over Fiore and the earth shook at the intensity of their battle. Two sides: one symbolizing darkness, destruction and chaos and the other symbolizing light, peace and hope.

On the sixth day, the chaos subsided and the results of the titanic battle could be seen. **Zeref** had been successfully sealed and all his demons banished from whence they came. What was most surprising was that the hero, which had brought about the peace that would last for hundreds of year, was nowhere to be found. No traces of him, save for his sword which stood proudly from the ground at the end-battle, could be found. Even today, his sword is locked up in Fiore's **Royal Reclusiam**, protected by hundreds of high ranking seals and barriers. It is considered a holy artefact that is the only link to **Reinhardt**.

But I digress. Had the hero not appeared, I dare say Fiore would not be as it is now. But even today, there are still many questions that still require answers. Who was the man that saved Fiore? Why did he do what he did? Did he have any descendants? Why is there nothing known about him? Why did he disappear after the battle? Could he have been a being sent by the great Goddess to end the bloody conflict?

So many questions, so little answers. The mystery of **Reinhardt the Exalted** would continue to baffle scholars and researchers for years to come. But I have heard rumours of an ancient scroll that contained the texts that detailed the hero's life and teachings that was written by someone who seemed to be a close friend of the man. If these rumours are indeed true, what we will be looking at is a breakthrough in unravelling the life of the mage that saved Fiore from utter destruction!

_**-Excerpts from a report of Daniel Morgun, Head Researcher of the Fiore Royal Reclusiam**_


	2. Chapter 1 The Dream

**Path of a Hero**

Chapter 1 – The Dream

In the lush forest within the Kingdom of Fiore, a great being made its home; a being that held enough magic power to obliterate an entire town with but a single roar. This being was the great Fire Dragon, Igneel. The gigantic dragon was covered with dark red scales that gleamed in the sun's light. Multiple scars also covered his khaki coloured lower body with a noticeably large X-shaped scar on his chest. If one were to look at this ancient being's eyes, one could see the age and wisdom that the dragon exuded.

And for many centuries, he had made this forest his home. There was one thing that he was known for in the dragon realm; he was very protective of his territory and seclusion. Anyone who entered his domain without his consent would end up in a pile of ashes, scorched by his ever-burning breath.

He had his share of trespassers in the past; foolish humans who thought that they could intrude into his domain in search of riches. None had left his domain alive. There had been the occasional ones who had lost their way. Those he had let them leave with a warning.

And today, it would be one of those days again.

He had detected a few presences within his domain and that infuriated the great dragon. How dare some insignificant beings trespass in his domain– _HIS FOREST! _Igneel then shook off the thought. He had sounded a bit too much like Acnologia to his liking. Nonetheless, he decided to find out who had the courage or idiocy to enter his domain. He spread his bony, rippled wings and took to the skies with a huge gust of wind.

As he flew towards the location of the presence, his enhanced hearing caught wind of….crying? And not the kind of crying you would hear from a man or a woman; it sounded…like a child's cry. Igneel's anger then turned into curiosity. When he did reach the intended location, he found a tiny bundle with a small baby in it.

_**A human infant?**_ , the Fire Dragon thought as he inspected the bundle with care. Despite what the other dragons and humans may think of him, Igneel had a great respect for Life. There was no way he would harm the new-born in front of him. He growled in disgust at a certain thought that came to his mind.

_**I am not that damned Black Dragon**_, he added with a satisfactory nod.

As he gently pulled the cover off, what he noticed first was pink. Pink hair to be exact. What he found within the bundle was a baby boy. The boy was staring that the big scary dragon for almost a minute, before he giggled and tried to touch Igneel's snout, which surprised the great dragon. He had expected the boy to cry even louder after seeing his intimidating size.

He had wondered who would have the heart to abandon a baby into the wilderness and it infuriated him. Were they expecting the baby to cry itself to death or have his cry attract opportunistic predators? He growled in fury that the thought but what surprised him was that it was met with yet another string of giggles and gurgles from the baby.

_**This boy…he shows no fear even in his infancy**__, _he thought as he inspected the boy again and received another attempt to touch his snout. He began run options within his great mind as to what to do with the boy.

With his mind made up, he lifted the bundle with his snout which received an excited cry. He couldn't help but smile. On this day, in X767, he would adopt this baby as his own and raise him to be a fine young man. The first step is to give the boy a name. When he had thought of the prefect one, he spoke for the first time in many years, with a smile on his face.

"**You will become an exceptional man, young Natsu Dragneel…one that would shake Fiore to the core."**

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For the last six years, Igneel had never been so happy in his entire lifetime. He had raised the young Natsu into an increasingly fine young man. He had also come to think of the boy as his son and the boy reciprocated in return by referring to the great dragon as 'Father'. He had never been so proud. He had indeed made the right choice back then when he found him.

Natsu had been a very interesting child. The boy's untidy rose-coloured hair was now spiked upwards. He was also scrawny, Igneel noted, but he had no doubt that would change once he started his training in the ways of magic.

These past years had been bliss for Igneel. He had taught Natsu how to write and read when he was of age and to his surprise, Natsu was a very keen learner. Natsu absorbed everything Igneel taught him like a sponge.

_**A very hyperactive sponge**_, he added with a snort.

Currently, he had decided to teach the boy a unique magic that only Dragons could teach; Dragon Slayer Magic. The boy had expressed his desire to be a mage after he had explained to him a few years back. The boy would become a very strong mage in the future. He was sure of it.

"Dad, could you also teach me Swords Magic?" the young pinked-haired kid asked. If Igneel took a closer look at him, he would have seen the fire burning with determination in Natsu's eyes.

Igneel at first was taken by surprise and wondered why Natsu would be interested in Swords Magic. He had wanted to ask the boy about it until he remembered an incident three years back…The boy had a hard time trying to sleep on the particular day and Igneel had decided to tell Natsu a story; the legend of Reinhardt. Natsu had been ecstatic during the whole story-telling, muttering 'oooh', 'wow' and 'cool' till the end.

In the truth of things, Igneel had actually met the hero a few times during Zeref's era. He had a great respect for that man; in fact, Reinhardt had been the first human to gain the Fire Dragon's respect and trust. When the final battle concluded and the man fell to his wounds, Igneel mourned the loss of a great man and since, he had vowed to remember the man's sacrifice by remembering his legend.

Igneel had explained how the hero had defeated Zeref with a unique magic and sealed the Dark Mage and ensured an era of peace that lasted even until today. Natsu, being a curious boy that he is, had asked about the type of magic the hero had used and Igneel had given a brief explanation of Sword Magic. After that, Natsu had been hooked by the legend.

Igneel had intended for the story to simply entertain Natsu and give him some sort of goal. What he didn't expect was for Natsu to tell him that he wanted to be just like the hero in the story. He had dismissed the boy's outburst as a human child thing and believed that Natsu would forget about it as he grew older. And now the boy was asking him to teach him Swords Magic…

"**Why do you want to learn Swords Magic, Natsu?" **the Fire Dragon asked his son. He had expected his answer but he wanted to hear it from the boy's mouth himself.

"I wanna be a hero!" Natsu replied proudly without hesitation.

Unlike the Great Fire Dragon that he is, Igneel chuckled…in the way dragons do, which was a rumbling roar. Any normal or sane human being would have relieved themselves of their bodily fluids by now but Natsu had lived with the dragon since he was baby, so he did what he always did; he laughed alongside his father. As the dual laughter subsided after a minute, Igneel looked at the boy with a serious look on his face.

"**A path to become a hero is not a simple one, Natsu," **the dragon said as he tried to think of simpler words so that his young son could understand, **"The road to be a hero is filled with challenges and…hardships. Are you willing to walk this difficult path?"**

Natsu stared at his adopted father as he pondered what had just been spoken to him. And he once again looked into his father's eyes, with certain steel to it, and answered a simple 'Yes'. Once again, Igneel was taken aback by Natsu's reaction. His determination and spirit are strong and unshakable. It brought the great dragon back into nostalgia; back 400 years ago when he had met the hero Reinhardt before he had begun his journey to become stronger so that he could stop Zeref'smeaningless war. He had asked the same question to the young hero back then as he did now. The young hero's reply?

The exact same look and reply that Natsu had given him now.

_**Perhaps it is fate**_, Igneel smiled proudly at his son. Indeed he would make a great hero,**"Very well, Natsu, but for now, I will teach you the magic of a Dragon Slayer. If you prove that you are capable of mastering it, I will teach you Sword Magic."**

Natsu nodded excitedly at the prospect of learning magic, knowing that he has taken a step towards being a hero. He was determined to prove to his father that he was capable to become a hero! But unknown to Natsu though, Igneel had already known that Natsu would prevail and had already thought of a way to teach his son the magic he desired but that could wait until Natsu finished his training in the lost magic.

* * *

It was about two years since Igneel began training Natsu in the ways of a Fire Dragon Slayer. The now eight-year old boy had grown quite a lot over the years. His body was no longer scrawny like before. Now, a well-toned body replaced it with a hint of muscle development. He had also grown in height; growing a head taller than he was before.

To sum up Igneel's entire thoughts through the two years: He was deeply impressed by his son. In just a year, Natsu had mastered the manipulation of Fire; a pre-requisite to learning the lost magic. Igneel had expected it would take Natsu longer to achieve it but it seems like the fires of his will and determination did not die down during the year. In fact, the dragon believed it had increased significantly. The next year had been spent teaching Natsu the basic spells of the lost magic. So far, his son has learned **Fire Dragon Roar, Fire Dragon Claw** and was in the process of finishing up learning **Fire Dragon Iron Fist**.

Igneel was extremely proud of his son. Usually training in Dragon Slayer Magic would take five years to complete but Natsu had accomplished that feat in half the time. Yes, the fire dragon was proud. It seems like it was time for Natsu to take another step of his path to be a hero.

"**Natsu," **he called out to the boy as he obliterated a tree with his newly acquired **Fire Dragon Iron Fist**. The rose-haired boy wiped off the sweat on his forehead and ran to his father with a huge smile planted on his face. Igneel chuckled at the boy's antics, "**It seems like you've proven yourself. Tomorrow, I will instruct you on how to use Sword Magic as promised.**"

Natsu's eyes became like saucers. Finally! Finally, he could learn the magic of his role model! The joy was simply too much for Natsu as he began cheering and jumping around, much to the amusement of the fire dragon. The red dragon on the other hand, had other thoughts in his mind. He had recalled of an item that contained not only instructions to learn Sword Magic, but also a doctrine that detailed the Way of the Sword. It was perfect for Natsu. This item had once been in the possession of the man he had respected and was gifted to the great dragon as a sign of friendship and respect four centuries ago. Igneel nodded to himself at his choice as Natsu celebrated in the background.

The Great Dragon Igneel smiled once again, a regular occurrence now.

-To be continued-

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**Author's Note: I'm not sure how this story will be received but its something I've been working on for quite some time now. Let me know what you guys think and correct me if there's any mistakes in grammar or the timeline and such.**


	3. Chapter 2 The Training and Disappearance

**Path of a Hero**

Chapter 2 – The Training and Disappearance

When night claimed the sky and Natsu fast asleep under a nearby tree, exhausted from his training for the day, Igneel rose from where he slept and quietly flew up into the sky. It was time to retrieve the tome from his pile of treasures hidden within the dragon realm. Although the home of all dragon-kind, Igneel and a few fellow dragons dislike living in the realm. They prefer the fresh and natural air of Earthland than to the stagnant and artificial air of the dragon realm which was why there were quite a few dragons roaming Earthland as of late.

Opening a portal to the dimension where he had made his home in the realm, he entered it and what greeted him was a harsh, volcanic landscape. Surrounded by jagged mountains and volcanoes with lava gushing out, Igneel was just at home as he was in the forest in Fiore. Without as much as delving into nostalgia of his home realm, he went inside a large cave-like structure situated within a nearby dormant volcano. Within the cave, laid piles upon piles of artifacts and treasures and would make any treasure hunter so wealthy that they practically die from a heart attack just by thinking of it.

Yet again, Igneel did not even bother to admire his centuries' worth of treasures. He strode pass the massive piles and deeper into the cave, where he stored his most prized possessions. Within the stash, he found the item he had been looking for; a tome, encased personally by himself with his own scales and its covers decorated with a symbol of a holy sword. The tome glowed in a faded white as Igneel approaches, as though sensing the dragon's presence. The tome itself was not magically when he had first receive it but after centuries amongst countless magical artifacts, the tome had obtained a sort of semi-sentiency. Picking up the tome with his right clawed hand, he began making his way back to the entrance and back to Fiore.

When he returned to the forest, he silently and gently landed at his usual spot and noticed that Natsu was still asleep. Good. It would have been a pain to have to explain to the eight year old where he had gone in the middle of the night if he had seen him left. With the tome safely placed beside him, the great dragon closed his eyes and fell into a dream-filled slumber.

* * *

Natsu Dragneel was not a very studious boy. In fact, just learning how to read and write was torture for him. He wasn't the kind of person who study and devise tactics during a fight. He preferred a more direct approach; a 'hit first and ask questions later' kind of approach. And when Igneel gave him a weird looking book first thing in the morning today and told him that he will learn Sword Magic from the book, the boy was at a loss for words. Which was why he was currently staring at the book with narrowed eyes, as though willing the book to vanish by just glaring at it.

"**The book isn't going to read itself, Natsu," **Igneel stated from his usual spot, his deep voice clearly amused by Natsu's antics. Natsu ignored his father's sarcastic remark and continued glaring fire at the red abomination of a book. With a sigh, Igneel decided to give Natsu an extra push. **"You may not know this but the book was a gift from the Hero himself to me back then when he was alive…"**

When the boy heard the word 'gift' and 'Hero', he turned his attention to his father; eyes gleaming in disbelief.

"**I'm not lying. He had used the very book you see now to achieve his status as a hero."**

Natsu stared at the book again before turning his gaze back to his father, his expression a mix of excitement and reluctance.

"**Remember what I told you yesterday, Natsu?" **the fire dragon asked in a disinterested tone, clearly getting tired of Natsu's stubbornness, **"The path to become a hero is filled with challenges. This is one of them."**

Apparently, that was the necessary push that Natsu needed. Without even uttering a word, he grabbed the tome and held it as though it was the most precious thing in the world and moved under the shade of a nearby tree. Giving the book a last look-over, Natsu opened the cover and began to read its content, eyes burning with determination. Igneel, having accomplished his mission, decided he needed a nap.

Despite his deep loathing for reading, he weathered on, turning to the first chapter of the book and began reading.

_The Way of the Sword_

_Chapter 1_

_Greetings and welcome to your first step in becoming a swordsman. Within the contents of this book, you will learn the Ways of the Sword; a strict doctrine that one must follow without fail if one desires to become an exceptional warrior of the sword. _

_Before we begin, I must warn you that the Way of the Sword is not easy to master. Many have tried and failed to understand that, and that had led to their inevitable deaths._

The eight-year old gulped as he read the last line but he continued reading on, his desire to emulate his hero that only thing that kept him going.

_If you still desire to follow in the Ways of the Sword, then I commend your determination and spirit. _

_The code of a swordsman is that one must hold loyalty, courage, compassion and honor as important, above all else. A swordsman must have an appreciation and respect of life. In this way, he can be deadly in combat and yet be gentle and compassionate with the innocents and the weak. _

_In addition, a swordsman must not take knowledge for granted, for knowledge is power. A swordsman is not only a warrior, but also one that appreciates literature and art which gives him a greater understanding of good judgment, personal growth and self-awareness._

_Similarly, to be a swordsman is to respect the cycles of Life and Death._

Natsu tilted his head as he read that line, his mind unable to understand what it meant. Nonetheless, he continued reading on.

_Death, an inevitable eventuality of our own lives, is as much a part of nature as is Life. It gives us an added level of thought and meaning to our existence. With the advent of Death, there is an introduction to Life. By understanding and realizing this inevitability, it will allow one to appreciate Life and the things that we enjoy and love; to appreciate the things we take for granted once they are gone forever._

_If you are having a difficult time understanding the above, do not worry. One can only truly understand it through first-hand experience. Perhaps you will understand this philosophy when you have achieved the right to become a true swordsman. _

_Moving on, before becoming a swordsman one must first purify their soul by first looking inside the very core of their soul and confront the intimate fears that are hidden deep within that plague our psyche in everyday life; a process called 'Knowing Thyself'. By knowing yourself, you know where your weaknesses and strengths lie and most importantly, you know where you belong._

Natsu struggled to understand what the book meant. It was very confusing for the boy as there are many words and sentences that he did not understand. Turning to the next page, it details a strict training regimen that one must follow before even delving into Sword Magic, with the book stating that 'One must first crawl before he can walk.'

The training regimen instructed Natsu to meditate every morning upon waking up and then followed by one hundred swings and thrusts with a practice sword. Natsu nodded to himself and steeled his resolve, knowing that it was the first step to becoming a swordsman. He would have to ask his father about some of the words and sentences he didn't understand at the first page later. For now, he decided to try his hands on meditation, whatever it means. Turning to the page about meditation as instructed, he began reading once again.

_Meditation is the art of silencing the mind. When the mind is silent, one would be able to concentrate much more effectively as well as experiencing an inner peace in the midst of a tumultuous situation. A swordsman must always keep his cool in any situation, be it bad or good. This is where meditation comes in._

The rest of the page was a set of instructions on how to achieve a 'Silent Mind' as the book described it. Natsu decided to give it a try. He placed the book on the ground beside him as he crossed his legs and closed his eyes. The book instructed him to block off all thoughts except for one, which was proving to be difficult for the impatient boy. For a good hour, Natsu practiced his meditation. For an hour, he failed miserable. For any kid his age, they would have given up but Natsu was determined to accomplish his dream. This was one of the obstacles that he needed to overcome in order for him to achieve his dream and he was not going to back down. He was Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel and future hero! Giving up was not in his dictionary!

* * *

Six months had passed since then and Natsu was still unable to accomplish what the book had expected him to. He had asked his father for help and tips but the answer he received was: **"A hero must always be innovative and self-reliant. If I keep helping you in everything, do you think that you will grow into a respectable mage in the future?"**

He had also asked Igneel about the complex words from Chapter One of the book but the dragon had told Natsu that he was too young to understand the meanings of it. So taking Igneel's harsh yet helpful advice to heart, Natsu weathered on for the past months. At the beginning of every day, he would attempt to meditate, which usually resulted in him getting distracted within the five minute mark, before performing one hundred swings and thrusts as instructed in the book with a crudely-made wooden sword. The routine went on for six months without any difficulties since his body was used to the constant strain of training, having been trained as a Dragon Slayer and all. After his now daily routine, he would spend the rest of the day training with his adopted father on improving his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.

During breaks, he would continue to read the book that Igneel had given him; absorbing every detail into his brain. So far, he had finished reading Chapter Two which was an introduction to Sword Magic. The chapter had explained that there was no true way of learning Sword Magic, much to Natsu's disappointment. As the continued one reading, a certain paragraph caught his attention.

_As explained earlier, Sword Magic is varied and there is no fixed type of Sword Magic. You might feel disappointed at the revelation but do not fret. All beginners to Sword Magic must first learn to channel their Magic Power into his sword. The sword is an extension of one's hand and by channeling magic through the sword; it becomes the basis of Sword Magic. Once you are capable of it, it will be up to your ingenuity and creativity to create your own Sword Magic. As an example, if you channel Wind Magic through the sword, it would gain wind properties like longer reach and sharper edges. From there, the user can create powerful gusts of wind from just a swing of the weapon._

That had gotten the pink-haired boy's creative juice going and sure enough, a wild thought appeared in his mind: What would happen if he channeled his Dragon Slayer Magic through his wooden sword?

Thinking that it was a good idea at the time, he channeled his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic through his practice sword like how he had done with his fist. The result was that his weapon lit up like a Christmas tree and in a matter of seconds, all that was left of it was a pile of ashes on the ground.

Igneel, having watched the entire scene, felt like palming his claws. For all the credit that he had given to Natsu, sometimes his son was just…stupid. But he was intrigued by Natsu's experiment though. He had never thought about combining Dragon Slayer Magic and Sword Magic like what Natsu had done and yet again, he was impressed by his son's ingenuity, although he'd need to work on his common sense a bit more…

With a sigh, Igneel stood up and walked over to his adopted son who was busy wailing in despair at burning his only practice sword, not realizing that another one could be easily made. Feeling like a headache coming soon, he gave Natsu a pouch of jewels that he recently…liberated from some generous fellows who decided that his forest was a good place to hide in and told the boy to go to a town nearby and buy himself a sword. The boy nodded excitedly and took the bag of jewels as he began his trek to civilization.

Three hours and a very worried Fire Dragon later, the boy returned to the forest; a simple looking iron sword strapped behind him. When questioned, his son had told him that he had gotten lost for an hour before a villager found him supposedly trespassing on said farmer's farm and after clearing up the misunderstanding, had directed him to the town. Igneel rubbed his forehead as he felt another migraine coming along.

* * *

And so time passes without much incident since then. Natsu continued his daily routine which consists of mediation, one hundred swings and thrusts, training with his father on the Lost Magic and his very own Sword Magic which the pink haired boy named **Fire Dragon Sword** in honor of his bond with his father. Life couldn't have been any better for the now ten-year old boy but all good things must come to an abrupt end.

One day, Natsu woke up to an empty forest. Igneel was nowhere to be found. Thinking that his father may have gone hunting, Natsu went on the day as usual. But as night fell, the dragon had yet to return and Natsu was wondering where his father had gone to. It not until he went to his father's usual resting spot that he noticed something.

It was a scarf detailed in white scales. Moving closer to examine it, he noticed an engraving edged into the soil beside the scarf.

It read:

_**Fulfill your dreams, my son.**_

Having put two and two together, realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Igneel had left him. For the first time in his life, tears rolled down his cheeks as he held the scarf tightly in his hands. He was now alone…and in despair. The thought of losing his only father figure was too much for the ten-year old to bear. It was at that moment that he remembered the advice that his father had given him over the years.

_**A path to become a hero is not a simple one, Natsu. The road to be a hero is filled with challenges and…hardships. Are you willing to walk this difficult path?"**_

_**A hero must always be innovative and self-reliant. If I keep helping you in everything, do you think that you will grow into a respectable mage in the future?**_

Natsu Dragneel stood up from where he was and wore the scaled-scarf around his neck. He wiped away the tears from his face and closed his eyes. For the first time in years, his mind had only one thought; to achieve his dreams and fulfill his promise to his father. And unknown to Natsu, the tome Natsu had strapped to his hip glowed in a red aura so faint that only those who concentrated solely on the tome could actually see it.

The date was July 7th, X777.

-To be continued-

**AN: Special thanks to my good friend, Kay, for proof reading it for me. This chapter was kinda annoying for me to write. I had to do some research of swordsman philosophy and in the end, I decided to go with Bushido, the way of the samurai. Anyway hope you like it.**** The canon story should start around chapter 4 so do look forward to it.**

****** Anyway, if you have questions or you have found some parts that doesn't add up, please let me know either through reviews or PMs.**

**Also thanks for the reviews. Pairings are currently undecided but I'm sticking to the canon pairings for now. **


	4. Chapter 3 A New Beginning

**Path of a Hero**

Chapter 3 – A new beginning

How long has it been since he had started his journey to hone his skills? A few weeks? Or perhaps months? He had lost track of time. Natsu sat comfortably under the shade of a willow tree as he devoured a batch of fruits and berries he had foraged, his iron sword stuck on the ground next to him. He was taking a break from his daily exercises as usual. He had finally created his first Fire Dragon Sword skill, which he had named simply as Fire Slash. Basically, he channels his magic into his sword and performed a 45 degree slash which releases a wave of flames that engulfs anything in its path. It was simple but it was a start for the ten-year old boy. To create his own Sword Magic skill at such an age was a feat on its own.

He was also progressing well in his swordsmanship. He had found a chapter in his dragon-scaled book, which was the most precious item in his possession along with his scarf, detailing the different styles of swordplay. There were offensive styles, defensive styles, mixed styles and a few exotic ones. It had taken the boy a month to actually find a style to his liking. The book had called the style 'Ashura-style' and according to the description, it was: 'A style that forgoes any defensive moves and focuses on getting close to your opponent to unleash a barrage of fast and precise moves that deals tremendous damage. Injuries to the user during a battle is expected which is why, one must first train in strengthening his body so that he can withstand the hits as he gets close to engage in close quarter combat.'

To be honest, it was a style that suits Natsu the best since he had been trained in close hand-to-hand combat by his father before taking up the sword. In addition, his body had already been strengthened through the rigorous training he was subjected to back then as well. So the style suited him just fine. Although he still did not understand the meaning from the first chapter, his training was coming along fine. In fact, he was had an inspiration for a new sword skill which was based on his Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame. Feeling confident, he stood up and grabbed his sword. Time to get back to work.

* * *

Unknown to the Fire Dragon Slayer, he was being watched from a distance by an elderly woman which pink hair tied into a bun. The woman wore crimson colored cape over a dark green blouse and matching skirt.

Porlyursica was simply out in the forest near her treehouse to gather some herbs and berries when she stumbled upon the young boy. At first, she was annoyed that yet another human was trespassing within her forest. But as she watched the boy train, with him being oblivious to the fact that he was being watched, she noticed the book that the boy was reading during his breaks. She had a strange feeling about the book, which she finally identified as a magical tome, judging from the magic present within it. The tome's magic felt...weird and yet it did not felt like any corrupt dark magic, and that confused Polyursica further as to what the tome was. Sometimes not knowing is what makes situations more dangerous than it was supposed to be.

Deciding that it was time to confront the boy and sate her curiosity, Porlyursica began walking towards the boy. As she got closer, she saw the boy's body stiffen as she got closer. It seems like she had made herself known…

* * *

Natsu's enhanced sense of smell detected a presence, which smelled rather strongly of herbs, nearby. Instinctively, he spun around to face the supposed intruder in a battle stance with his sword held in both hands. He didn't know who it was but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Stay your sword, boy." Polyursica called out, surprised at the boy's quick reaction. As she watched the boy, she noticed the steely expression he had on his face as he stood in his stance; an expression she had not expected to see from a child, "I mean you no harm. I am simply gathering some herbs and berries when I spotted you here."

Taking in her explanation, Natsu sighed in relief and lowered his sword.

"Who are you, old lady?" the boy asked warily, still unsure if he could trust the old woman.

"I am Polyursica and you are trespassing in my forest." Was her reply, having ignored the rude implication of her age.

"Um….I'm sorry?" the boy said sheepishly.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter now." The healer said in an annoyed tone. "Anyway, what are you doing in this forest? Shouldn't you be off with your parents?"

Polyursica noticed the change in the boy's demeanor. He lowered his head and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What? Speak up, boy!"

"I-I….don't have any parents!"

Shocked by the revelation, she began hearing the boy's explanation; about how he had been travelling about to see the world as well as train himself to accomplish his dreams. He had also told her about his dreams to become a hero, which got him a sceptical look form Polyursica. When asked about the book he had been carrying, he told her that it was a gift from his father and the book's content.

Intrigued and worried that the boy might walk down the wrong path in his life, Polyursica had suggested that he join a guild, which earned her a blank stare from the young dragon slayer. Resisting the urge to palming her face, she then spent the next hour explaining to the confused boy about the guild system and the guild Fairy Tail where she recommended he join.

"Will I get stronger if I join this….Fairy something?" the boy finally asked, although his face still held a clueless expression.

"If you work hard, yes."

"Alright, then I'll join the guild!" the boy shouted enthusiastically before yet again the confused look reappeared on his face.

"What is it, boy?" Polyursica asked in a rather annoyed tone. Apparently, an hour of explanation about guilds to a boy who still did not understand anything could to that to you.

"Where is this…guild?"

The elder woman almost face-faulted.

"You mean, you don't know where you are?"

A sheepish look from the boy was her answer. And for the first time in many years, the healer palmed her face. If Makarov had seen her now, he'd be laughing his ass off at her. The urge to just strangle the brat right then was ever so increasing.

_And that's why I hate these….humans. So annoying!_

Deciding to get rid of this annoyance from her forest, she told the boy to follow her as she led him to Magnolia where Fairy Tail made their headquarters. The sooner she got rid of the brat, the better.

* * *

Fairy Tail; currently the strongest guild in all of Fiore. Situated in the town of Magnolia, Fairy Tail had been established almost centuries ago and according to rumors, its first Guild Master was supposedly a fairy. Another thing that Fairy Tail was famous for was their capabilities of producing powerful mages, like the famous S-class Mage Gildarts Clive.

And this was the guild that our future hero decided to join.

As Natsu stood in front of the huge entrance door with the name of said guild on top, he was struck with awe. Having been living in the forests of Fiore all his life, he had never seen such a huge building! Even when he went to buy his sword in a nearby town back then didn't have buildings this big!

The building itself stood three floors high, with each floor being smaller than the previous floor; much like that similar to a pagoda, with the top being of Arabic design and coloured in gold. The building towered over any other structures around the vicinity, making it the tallest building in Magnolia.

"Impressed, brat?" Polyursica commented in her usual annoyed tone. Apparently spending the whole journey with a brat that had lived in the wilderness for Goddess knows how long who kept asking stupid questions during the whole duration of the journey, could do that to you.

Natsu nodded excitedly as he and the healer walked towards the large Arabian style doors which had the guild's name edge on top of it, flanked by two fairy statues on each side. Without any hesitation, Polyursica pushed the doors open.

What the young dragon slayer witnessed was….utter chaos. Chairs and tables were flying from one side to the other. Natsu also saw metal mugs, plates and other objects he couldn't identify flying across the place. In the middle of the large hall, a large group of people were in an all-out brawl against each other. Natsu noticed that they wore smiles across their faces as they duke it out amongst them. Slightly disturbed by this strange occurrence, the boy hid behind Polyursica's cloak which earned an exasperated sigh from the healer. There were reasons why she never liked coming to this place; the current situation being one of them.

"This is why I hate humans…" Polyursica mumbled as she rubbed her temples.

"Hey, it's the old lady from the forest!" said a child's voice from within the brawling area. Apparently, they had finally taken notice that they had a visitor.

In a split second, the entire brawl settled down and everyone was looking in surprised at Polyursica visiting the guild. Her reputation within the guild as a hermit was well-known.

"I'm here to see that old fool of a master of yours. Where is he?" she said pointedly.

"Polyursica-chan?" came the familiar voice from the above floor of the building. "It's rare to see you coming to the guild."

As Natsu looked up, he saw a tiny elderly man standing on top of the wooden railings. He wore a small orange jacket with blue outlines on the end of the sleeves and a blue and orange striped hat with two protrusions that looked like imp ears. Natsu wondered how could someone be so….tiny.

"This boy here would like to join your rambunctious little family, Makarov." Polyursica pushed the boy forward for all to see, "I found him wandering around my forest, so I thought of getting rid of him."

"And I assume there's more to it than meets the eye?" Makarov asked as he examined the boy. He was wearing a ragged white shirt and dark blue pants that had seen better days. The Guild Master's attention was on the sword the boy had strung over his back and he could easily see the wear on it, telling him that the boy had used it regularly. The boy was only nine or ten and boys his age shouldn't be using swords. Even Erza had just taken up using swords…and she was twelve! And when he switched his gaze onto the book strung on his hip, his expression turned grim.

"It's best we speak in private about it." Fairy Tail's Medical Counsellor replied with a sigh, seemingly understanding Makarov's reaction. This got a nod from Makarov and he invited Polyursica into his office for a more private chat about the boy while the healer told the boy to wait down there.

Being a complete stranger in a place where he was the current centre of attention, Natsu nodded hesitantly and found a nice, dark little corner to hide in and proceeded to take out his cherished book to try to forget his nervousness.

As he did so, five members of the guild gathered into a circle near where Natsu was distracted with his book and was observing him. They were Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster and the Take-Over Trio, Lissana, Elfman and Mirajane.

"So what do you think the boy?" asked the spikey haired Gray who seemed to have lost his shirt some time ago. "He seems kinda weird…"

"It is to be expected." Replied the scarlet haired Erza as she took a glanced at Natsu. "He is surrounded by people he doesn't know. It is only logical that he'd be nervous."

"Maybe he's just a wimp." Remarked a white haired Mirajane as she glared at the young dragon slayer. "He doesn't look strong at all."

"What about that sword that he's carrying?" Mirajane's brother pitched in beside her shyly as he nervously stared at the said sword. "He doesn't look like a wimp to me."

Erza nodded in agreement with Elfman's observation. The sword strapped on the boy's back seemed to be well-used and there were what seemed to be stains of unknown blood on it. In addition to that, she could feel the boy glancing around his surroundings subtly while he was reading, suggesting to the Re-quip user that the boy is observant and competent.

"Bah, that still doesn't make him anything but a wimp!" Mirajane retorted with a huff clearly not accepting the conclusion made by her peers.

"Well, he seems kinda lonely." Lissana, the youngest of the Take-Over Trio, finally spoke up. Then a sudden idea came into her mind. "I know! I'll go talk to him!" Without waiting for anyone to respond, she darted towards the boy.

As her two siblings followed after their little sister, Erza and Gray looked at each other before nodding and prepared their magic, just in case anything goes wrong. They were not taking any chances with the boy. If he so happens to hurt their family, Goddess help him…

* * *

Unaware of the situation, Natsu was re-immersing himself in the Way of the Sword and Sword Magic. He was still unsure of some terms and was trying to understand the meanings of some sentences in the chapter but to no avail. As he sighed in frustration, his enhanced sense of smell picked up the scent of three individuals. Reacting on his instinct honed since he was a child, he readied himself for any potential assault; hands in a position where he could easily grab the hilt of his sword.

"Hi!" greeted a very cheery and cute voice behind him. He froze in surprised. He wheeled around and saw a girl with short white hair and blue eyes just inches from him. She wore a simple pink dress paired with a pair of dark red shoes.

"Uh…h-hi?" he greeted back pathetically as he relaxed his guard. Social skills were not his forte, given his situation. In fact, this was the second time he had spoken with anyone other than his father; the first being the weaponsmith he had bought his sword from all those years ago.

"I'm Lissana!" the girl which was the same age as him smiled. "What's your name?"

"N-Natsu…" he answered nervously as sweat rolled down his temples.

Just then, two others joined the girl. One was a boy that had short white, messy hair. He wore an elegant black suit over a white shirt with a red papillon around the neck and a pair of polished dark shoes. He seemed like on the shy kind, judging from how he was fidgeting around and avoiding eye contact.

The other one was yet another girl with white hair tied with a dark ribbon in a high ponytail on the back of her head. The girl wore a dark sleeveless shirt detailed by some light curved motifs on the chest and a pair of leather shorts with a matching belt that somewhat looked demonic, accompanied by a thigh-high stiletto-heeled boots. Apparently, she was glaring daggers at him for some reason which Natsu reacted with a nervous gulp.

The girl triggered Natsu's instinctual flight response, honed from years spent in the wilderness. He desperately tried to suppress it but to no avail. Her 'I'm going to gut you then eat you' kind of stare scared the living daylights out of the young dragon slayer and he wouldn't mind screaming like a little girl if it meant that he could get far, far away from her. Natsu also failed to notice the smirk on the girl's face when she saw Natsu's fearful expression.

"This is my brother, Elfman!" Lissana introduced, oblivious to the silent exchange going on between Natsu and her sister. "And this is my older sister, Mirajane!"

"…N-N-Natsu," he greeted again meekly, still under the scrutiny of the scary goth girl.

"Nice to meet you, Natsu," Elfman said with a shy smile.

Mirajane did not bother to even grace him with an introduction. She instead continued her glare at the boy, finding strange satisfaction in the boy's reaction.

By now, Erza and Gray had joined the group; realizing that the boy wasn't a threat to anyone of their friends. And by now, Natsu had used his dragon-scaled tome as a sort of shield to hide his face, unable to face the stares of Mirajane and muttering something that sounded like 'Please don't eat me' repeated over and over again.

Lissana on the other hand, was examining the said book. Its cover design seemed strange and she had never seen any kind of books like the one Natsu had. Apparently, everyone in the group seemed curious by the book that the boy held out.

"That's a strange looking book you have there…" Erza commented as she places her right hand on her chin "Where did you get it?"

The young dragon slayer blinked a few times as he processes the question. Having forgotten about Mirajane's death glare, he placed the book down and looked at the group. "My dad gave it to me," he answered proudly, all nervousness gone. The book was his most prized possession and he was proud to talk about the contents of the book to others, "It's a book about Sword styles and Sword Magic!"

"Wow," Lissana exclaimed excitingly, happy that Natsu had opened up a bit to them. "So you want to be a swordsman when you grow up?"

That got a shake from Natsu. The pink-haired boy then began explaining his dream to become a hero just like in the legend…which earned chuckles from Mirajane and Gray, who couldn't believe what they just heard.

"Hey! Don't laugh at my dream!" Natsu said indignantly at the two chuckling mages. "I'm serious!"

"Yea…pfft.." Gray couldn't maintain his composure at the boy's ludicrous dream. To be a hero at this time and age? Did the boy hit his head or something? "And I think you're an idiot."

Mirajane would add her own jabs in as well but she was too busy rolling on the floor laughing while clutching her stomach. Erza and Lissana were glaring at the two for their blunt insult to a boy's dream while Elfman looked at Natsu with newfound respect.

As Natsu and Gray begin their first ever exchange of…words, one of many to come, other guild members were watching the interactions from afar, clearly amused. Seems like today wasn't going to be a dull day as they had expected…

* * *

While the commotion outside went underway, Makarov and Polyursica sat inside the Guild Master's room as they discuss about what to do with the boy.

"So who is the boy?" Makarov started, his usually carefree expression replaced by one that was the reason he was the Guild Master. "A boy shouldn't be wielding a sword at such a young age...let alone one that seemed to be well used..."

"As I've said, I found him wandering around the forest while I was put gathering some herbs." The healer explained calmly, apparently not fazed at all. "He was rather...cautious when I approached him." she recalled her interesting encounter with the brat.

Makarov raised an eyebrow at that but did not say anything as he waited for his former teammate to continue.

"The brat explained to me that he was travelling around to hone his skills and that he had been living in the wilderness all his life."

That had caught Fairy Mail's Guild Master's attention. Living in the wild all his life? Makarov wasn't sure if he was impress or sad. "I would picture someone who had lived in the wild to be more...feral than how the boy presented himself back there."

"Indeed," she agreed, "He seems to have been taught by someone before he was left to fend for himself...but that is up to the boy to tell. It is not my place to know who taught him."

Makarov couldn't have agreed more with his former teammate. If the boy did not want to tell his story, who was he to force it out of the boy?

"But that not the only reason I've brought him to your attention..."

"I assume it has something to do with that book he's carrying." he could feel the subtle hints of magic being channeled between the boy and the said book. Suffice to say , Makarov was cautious of the boy.

"Yes." she replied curtly as she looked at him grimly. "I am unsure of what to make of it as well...it, it felt ancient, powerful but I could not feel any Dark Magic from the tome..."

"And you're worried that someone might take advantage of the boy because of it?" Makarov received a nod of affirmation from the healer, which in turn causes him to let out a drawn out sigh. Makarov Dreyer was not a man to refuse someone who had no place to go; no family to return to. Suspicious as he was about the boy, if he could prevent this boy from falling into darkness, he would do it in a heartbeat. "Alright, I'll take the boy in and watch over him."

"I expected as much." Polyursica nodded in satisfaction. One less problem to worry about, was her thought.

"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!" the two heard a shout from the hall. What followed was the sound of fighting and the exchange of insults.

As they went outside, the entire hall had erupted into a full-scale brawl once again. What was more surprising was that they spotted Natsu duking it out with Gray in the middle of it. Rubbing his temple as he felt a migraine coming along. He noticed Polyursica smirking at him.

"Seems like he's fitting in just fine isn't it, Mar-chan?" Polyursica commented in a sarcastic tone, using Makarov's pet name back when they were still a team.

Makarov Dreyer, Third Guild Master of the famed Fairy Tail and one of the ten wizard saints, simply groaned and palmed his hands.

-To be continued-

**AN: Well, here is chapter 3. Really nothing much to say so I'll leave it at that. As usual, let me know what you guys think. Your feedback would be most appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 4 Meet the Salamander!

**Path of a Hero**

Chapter 4 –Meet the Salamander!

The port town of Hargeon. Situated just two hours from the famous town of Magnolia, it is considered to be one of the oldest and most beautiful old style towns in all of Fiore. Because of its status and location, Hargeon became a hotspot for tourists and couples who want a more old fashion feel.

Besides that and despite popular believes that Hargeon is a hub for mages, the port town's specialty is in its fresh seafood and thriving fishing industry obviously due to its location beside a clear blue ocean rich in marine life. In fact, Hargeon is the largest producer of seafood in all of Fiore.

And in this port town was one Lucy Heartfilia; seventeen years old and upcoming mage! She has blond shoulder length hair with a bunch tied singularly to the right side. She wore a tight white shirt with blue outlines that converged at the centre to make a cross and a blue mini-skirt. Her outfit emphasized her curves, with a whip rolled up and a set of keys strapped to a belt on her hips.

She had stopped by Hargeon to take a break from her long journey to the town of Magnolia. She had hoped to join Fiore's strongest guild, Fairy Tail, but she wasn't keeping her hopes high though. There was no way a mediocre mage like her could get into a guild whose reputation was known far and wide.

Currently though, she was reading the latest issue of Weekly Sorcerer, a tabloid magazine that covers the magic part of Fiore, to get her mind off the depressing thought.

"Wow, they destroyed the Devon Thief Family...and seven other houses within the vicinity?" she said to no one in particular. The article Lucy was reading was about the latest report about her dream guild. Apparently they were up to their usual destructive selves, having stirred up more complaints. Lucy couldn't help chuckle as she continued reading the article. And as she got to the week's centerfold, she was mesmerized by the model that had been featured.

Mirajane Strauss. Cover girl of Fairy Tail and former S-Class mage. She was the week's centerfold, wearing a sexy one piece bikini in a very provocative pose. Mirajane was a beauty unlike any other in her eyes. Lucy suspected that the Fairy Tail cover girl would have no problems finding a boyfriend.

As she turned to the next page, a small article caught her attention. It was an article about an upcoming Fairy Tail mage that had been gaining popularity in the past few years. The magazine had given the mage the nickname of 'Salamander' because of the rumor that he was a skilled Fire Magic user. Lucy wondered how fortunate she would be if she could join Fairy Tail; think of how many skilled mages like, this Salamander, she would meet!

She then closed the magazine with a sigh as she tucked it into her luggage. So much for getting her mind off Fairy Tail...

"Hey look! It's Salamander!" Lucy heard and excited shout from group of girls not far from where she was sitting.

Hearing that an upcoming Fairy Tail mage was in Hargeon had immediately caught the blonde girl's attention. Now's her chance to ask if she could join! Not wasting any more time, she quickly grabbed her luggage and ran to find where the Salamander was.

She didn't have to search for long. A crowd had gathered near the fountain at the centre of the town, calling out his name. As she got closer, she noticed a tall figure that stood out amongst the crowd.

"So...that's the Salamander, huh," She mumbled to herself.

The tall figure that was surrounded by hordes of females was indeed the 'Salamander'. He looked to be in his mid twenties and had short, blue spiky hair. He wore an elegant purple cape embellished in intricate designs sown on it. Beneath the cape he wore a simple white shirt, pinstriped pants and a pair of matching dark shoes.

"I'm sorry girls, but I have a schedule to keep," the 'Salamander' told the crowd of women as he winked, making the girls squeal in delight, "But if you so wish, I will be having a banquet on my ship tonight and you are all welcome to join me then."

As the girls swooned over him, Lucy couldn't help but feel disgusted by the 'Salamander'. He seemed like an obnoxious jerk to her...but why is her heart beating so fast whenever she looked at him? She then felt a strange magic assaulting her senses and she tried desperately to resist it but she could feel her senses being overwritten by the strange magic. Just as she was about to fall to the magic, a timely intervention caused the spell to break.

"I'm afraid there won't be any banquet tonight, Salamander," came a voice from behind Lucy, "Or should I say, Bora of the Prominence?"

Lucy let out a cute 'Eep' as she wheeled around to face the owner of the voice. What greeted her was a young man with rose colored hair that spiked upwards. The man wore a black cape with gold trimmings on the edges that reached his waist with a white scarf wrapped around his neck. Beneath the cape, the man wore a black sleeveless shirt with the same gold trimmings as his cape, white long trousers with metal knee-protectors and what seemed like a hybrid between greaves and boots. Black gauntlets covered both his arms, with a wing-like design on the elbows.

A large dual edged sword that was almost more than half his height strapped securely onto his back, making him look quite intimidating. But what caught Lucy's attention was the strange looking book dangling by a small chain on the man's right hip. In all her life as an avid reader of books, it the first time she had seen such a strange one.

"H-how do you know that name?" the 'Salamander' asked nervously as sweat began to appear from his forehead. If someone other than his underlings knew, then it could only mean one thing.

"Oh, I know many things about you, Bora," the pink haired youth replied, grinning as he did, "And I'm here to put an end to your operations, you fake."

"Fake?" Lucy repeated that word. Does that mean that the person claiming to be Salamander was a fake?

"Aye!" came yet another voice from behind her. She wheeled around again and...saw nothing. Confused, she scanned around her vicinity for the owner of the voice but to no avail. "Down here!"

She turned her gaze downwards and her eyes turned into saucers at what she saw. The voice came from cat; not just any cat but a blue cat, standing on two feet and munching on a large fish. But more importantly, it had just talked to her! A freaking blue, bipedal, talking cat!

"Fish?" the cat thing offered Lucy the fish he had been chewing on.

"Y-You just talked!" she exclaimed, stating the rather obvious. After realizing what she had just said, she embarrassingly recomposed herself. "Wait, so he isn't the real Salamander?"

"Aye!" he replied with a happy, carefree tone that somehow annoyed the female mage, "Natsu's been hunting him down for a few days now. His real name is Bora of the Prominence, former member of the Titan Nose Guild. He's a Fire mage that got kicked out of his guild for using magic to commit crimes. Now, he kidnaps young women and sells them off as slaves."

Lucy glared at the fake Salamander with eyes full of loathing and hatred. He was the worst kind of mage to ever exist and she'd be happier the sooner the man got what's coming to him.

Bora sweated profusely, having his entire secret revealed by a freaking cat for all to hear. He was screwed and he knew it. He stared at the brat that had caused all of this with intense loathing. If he was going down, he'd take that damned brat with him!

Gathering his magic power into his hands, he summoned forth a huge torrent of purple, fire-like energy towards the pink haired youth. Surprisingly, the youth did not even attempt to dodge and simply stood his ground, taking the magic head-on.

Lucy gasped as the youth was engulfed in a sea of purple flame. No mage would survive unscathed from a magic attack like that!

"Fire won't work on Natsu," stated the blue cat as it looked on without much worry, finishing the last remnants of the fish. That had gotten a dumbfounded look from the female mage, "After all, he's a Fire User too."

"Eeh?" was all Lucy could say at the cat's statement. Just as she was about to ask more, a voice came from the purple inferno.

"Hmm, this is one disgusting fire..." Lucy gawked as the purple inferno dissipated, revealing an uninjured Natsu and…was he eating the fire? "I guess it suits someone like you," Suddenly, his right gauntlet was engulfed in orange flames, "Repent, criminal! **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!**" Natsu dashed towards Bora at incredible speed and drove his flaming fist into the man's gut with so much force that he was propelled a few blocks before smashing into the walls of a nearby shop. Good thing that skill was only half of its original power, else he would have destroyed a few blocks.

During the fight, Lucy had noticed an emblem on Natsu's bare right shoulder; a symbol of what seemed to be a fairy...with a tail? Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. It was the emblem of Fairy Tail!

"That guy...he's, he's from Fairy Tail!" she gawked for the second time today as she looked at the pink haired mage in utter disbelief. She had expected to meet the Salamander but instead, she met a bonafied Fairy Tail mage!

"Aye! But that's not all." the cat did an exaggerating pose as he said that. "He's the real Salamander!"

Lucy's jaw dropped and she had almost fainted from the revelation. Everyone that was still around shared her expression. Today had had been a long, tiring day...

* * *

Natsu Dragneel couldn't have felt better today. He had been on the return journey from his monthly visit to Era when he decided to take a break from his...condition a few days ago. During his stay, he had heard rumors about someone using his nickname to pick up girls. Deciding to find the culprit who was bullying his name, he spent the next day gathering as much information about the imposter with his long time partner, Happy. But as he dug up more on the man named Bora, the more disgusted at the man. Slave trader, illegal magic user, thief and many more things that were best left unmentioned. Suffice to say, this Bora is a scum that needed to spend the rest of his lives in prison.

Now that he had dealt with the scum, all that's left was for the Rune Knights to arrive and apprehend Bora.

"Alright, mission complete." he announced non-chalantly as he put his hands over his head. "Let's go get something to eat, Happy. I'm starving."

Hearing an 'Aye', he just continued walking in the direction of a restaurant he was quite fond of during his stay here.

"Um...e-excuse me..." a female voice called out to him. He turned his head to the direction of the voice lazily and was surprised when he saw a girl around his age with blond hair with Happy walking beside her.

* * *

To say that Lucy was nervous would be an understatement. She had finally worked up the courage to walk up to Natsu to ask if she could join his guild. She was hopeful but not optimistic at her chances though.

"Um, I'm wondering if your guild is recruiting new members..."

"You're a mage?" the Salamander arched his brow in which Lucy nodded nervously. Giving it only a few seconds of thought, he smiled, "Would you like to join us for lunch? We'll be head back to Magnolia afterwards."

"You mean..." Lucy's eyes widened, "That's it?"

"Aye! Fairy Tail doesn't have any rules of recruiting," the cat, which was identified as Happy, chipped in. "We're always welcoming new members. Congratulations, um..."

"Lucy. My name's Lucy Heartfilia."

"I'm Happy! Nice to meet you Luigi."

"It's Lucy!"

"Oi, you guys' coming? Don't blame me if I leave you two behind." shouted Natsu from further away.

"Ah Natsu wait!" Happy, having activated his wings, flew towards Natsu, leaving a gaping Lucy behind. First it was walking and talking; now it's flying?

"A-Ah, wait for me!" she ran after the two, smiling all the way, wondering what sort of guild would Fairy Tail be, unaware that this day would change her life forever…

The year was X874.

* * *

Meanwhile in Era, capital of Fiore, an official meeting was currently being held at the Magic Council Headquarters' highest floor. Within the meeting hall, nine powerful individuals sat around a grand-looking table what was round in design with the finest wines and food surrounding them. Today's agenda was a certain trouble-making guild with a huge reputation for insubordination.

"Have you read the latest report about Fairy Tail?" asked one of the nine. The councilman was a short old man with what seemed to be ears and a tail.

"You mean what happened at Hargeon?" replied another. He was a tall old man with a large gray beard and mustache. On top of his head sat what seemed to be a bat. "It seems like one of their members apprehended a known criminal…Bora was his name if I remembered from the report."

"I'm surprised that a member of Fairy Tail didn't destroy half the port in the process…" commented an elder woman who wore a cape over a purple turtle-neck. "Not that I'm complaining…"

"According to the Knights, it was Natsu Dragneel that had done the deed," A young man with short blue spiky hair spoke up as he placed his arms on the table. The man had an intricate tattoo design on the right side of his face.

"Hmph, I think he is the only one in that damnable guild that I have no complaints about."

"I have to agree. If it weren't for him and his contributions to the Royal Reclusiam, we'd be discussing about the potential disbandment of Fairy Tail."

"Aside from the Salamander himself, what of the others? I wouldn't be surprised if they destroyed an entire town…"

"Don't jinx it. Those idiots might actually do it…"

"Just let them be," The blue haired youth told the other eight, "You can't deny that they are very skilled mages, even if they are a bunch of idiots."

"Segrain, you…" growled one of the councilman.

"Besides," the man identified as Segrain ignored him, "It wouldn't be fun without those idiots…would it?"

-To be continued-

**AN: Here's an early update. I'm still working on the next chapter since I didn't like how it turned out so most probably the next update will be next week. **

**In any case, I'll answer perses7x's comment (also thanks for the review!):**

**Indeed, Natsu will be using Fire-based Sword Magic and I'd agree with your point that it'll be useless to have two Fire-Based magic. But the thing is, this version of Natsu forgoes his hand-to-hand combat for swords, meaning that he isn't as strong in his hand-to-hand skills then in canon. Hmmm...let me give you an example: Consider a hand-to-hand combat battle between Canon!Natsu and this Natsu. Canon!Natsu would win the battle hands down without even trying. In addition, this Natsu would have a smaller variety of Fire Dragon Slaying Magic skills than in canon because of how different his path is from canon. **

**If you're still confuse, you're welcome to pm me and I'll do my best to answer your questions. **

**Anyway, as usual, if you find any anomalies in my writing, let me know through reviews or pm. See you in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 5 Fairy Tail!

**The Path of a Hero**

Chapter 5 - Fairy Tail!

It had taken Natsu, Happy and Lucy a full day to reach Magnolia by train. During the train ride, Lucy bore witness to one of the most awkward moments in her life so far. What was it you ask? The sight of Natsu Dragneel frozen in his seat with his eyes closed shut while muttering something that went like 'This train is not moving...I'm standing on a stationary platform.' over and over again, that's what.

Thankfully, Happy had explained to the female mage about Natsu's incredible and hilarious motion sickness problem. Apparently, anything he considered a mode of transportation would cause him to simply freeze up and feel extremely sick. Lucy was kind of surprised that someone like the famed Salamander had such a glaring and obvious weakness.

But enough of that, she was finally standing at the entrance to the guild of her dreams. The Fairy Tail Guild stood proudly in front of her and to say she was awestruck by the sight would be an understatement.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy," Natsu gave her a smile, walking towards the guild's large dome shaped double doors with Happy trailing beside him as he motioned her to follow, "Well, come on in and I'll introduce you to the others."

The doors opened up smoothly as they entered into the guild's vast main hall. Now, Lucy had expected many things as she entered the guild but what she saw was not one of them. To put it simply, what greeted her was a brawl…but not just any brawl; an all-out, full scale brawl amongst the guild's members where tables, chairs, mugs, wine bottles and everything including the kitchen sink were fair game in the process of beating each other senseless. Astonishingly, she noticed that each and every one of the members seemed to be smiling and laughing as they exchanged punches, chairs and everything else.

"Aw man, you guys already started without me?" she heard Natsu said with a disappointed look on his face. Before he could say another word, Natsu was greeted by a nice big mug of steel which slammed straight into his face at full force, sending him flying to the other side of the hall and crashing into the guild walls.

"Ah, Natsu!" Lucy watched in horror as he flew across the hall like a rocket, unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry, Luffy," Happy told her, "This happens all the time."

She was about to correct the stupid cat about her name again, when she saw Natsu climbing out from the wreckage and proceeded into the fray. She also noticed Loke, one of Weekly Sorcerer's top male mages to go on a date with, and couldn't believe she had the chance to meet him. She had wanted to approach the good-looking mage but before she could, Loke had apparently decided to join the brawl as well, judging by how enthusiastic he was looking on at the ensuing carnage which sadly ruined her image of the mage was forever.

"Ah, a newcomer?" a voice greeted Lucy. "Welcome to Fairy Tail."

Lucy turned her head to the direction of the voice and her eyes widened once more. A few feet in front of her standing behind a bar was Mirajane Strauss, her idol. The Fairy Tail cover girl had blue eyes and long white hair with two bangs framing her beautiful face and reaching down her ample chest, whose most distinguished trait was a short, upward facing ponytail tied by a band on the right side of her forehead. She wore a simple long sleeveless maroon dress with the pleated skirt reaching her ankles. The chest area of the dress was adorned with a large pink bow with the same coloured trimmings circling around her waist and with a pair of high-heeled shoes that matched her dress.

Lucy had a dreamy look on her face as she thanked the Goddess for the opportunity to meet one of the most beautiful women in all of Fiore. Just as she was about to introduce herself, something or someone crashed quite close to where she stood. And yet again Lucy bore witness to yet another one of her most awkward moments; a black spiky haired naked man standing in front of her.

"Ugh, damn that hurts..." the totally naked man muttered as he scanned around for the culprit who threw him.

"Gray, look down."Mirajane informed the man now called Gray.

He looked down and eyes widened upon not seeing any clothes on his person. "Crap!" he looked around and noticed Lucy averting her gaze away from him. Gray strolled casually towards her, like it was nothing and scaring the living daylights out of her. "Excuse me, lady. Could you lend me your underwe-"

He never finished those words because a powerful kick, courtesy of Lucy, sent him flying to the other end.

"Like hell I would, you pervert!"

Seriously, who in their right mind would borrow someone else's underwear...especially if it was a guy! She stared indignantly at the direction that her kick had sent the man. Apparently, that had stirred up a hornets' nest as the brawl intensified, much to her dissatisfaction. She heard a giggle coming from Mirajane.

"Um...Mirajane-san, shouldn't you stop them?" Lucy asked the million dollar question.

"Don't worry, it happens quite frequently here. Besides..." a stray mug hit the side of her head. "...it's much more fun this...way." She managed to finish before passing out.

"Ah, Mirajane-san!"

Lucy felt quite useless as she watched in horror as the brawl evolved into what seemed to be a magic battle as everyone readied their magic; Loke readying his rings, Natsu grabbing the hilt of his sword, the pervert bringing his right fist together with his left palm, a brown haired girl taking out some sort of cards and a tall white haired man who transformed his right arm into what seemed to be a beast arm. Tension began to mount as everyone squared off.

"Cut it out, you fools!" a rather large and scary giant shouted as he suddenly appeared in the middle of the hall. He stood as tall as the guild hall itself.

_He's huge! _was Lucy's first thought as she froze at her spot, paralyzed with fear.

Silence reined inside the hall for a full minute as they stared at each other before grunting in acknowledgement and went back to whatever they were doing before.

"Ah, you were here all along Master?" Mirajane said, fully recovered from her apparent injury from just a moment ago.

And once again, Lucy's eyes widened. That huge man was the Guild Master! And an intimidating one at that! She then noticed Fairy Mail's Guild Master looking at her with his tiny little eyes and she felt like a little girl under the scrutiny; a very little girl.

"A newcomer?"

"Y-Yes!" Lucy squeaked, praying today wasn't going to be her last day on Earthland. She hadn't accomplished anything yet, damn it. Then suddenly, the huge man trembled and she felt like it was finally the end for her. What happened next was for the huge man to shrink down into a smaller, shorter man that was barely taller than a kid!

"Yo, nice to meet you," the now tiny Guild Master greeted the terrified girl which she returned, although her voice sounded shaky. After that, he tried to back flip onto the wooden railings on the second floor but failed epicly as he messed up his timing and wound up hitting his back against the side railings. As he recovered and ignored the embarrassment, having a clear view of everyone below, he took out a set of papers and sighed. "Look at how many complaints the Magic Council sent me today." He waved the papers as though emphasizing them before reading the contents one by one. Each one of those reports seemed to concern most of the guild members and the amount of damage they caused. She was surprised when Natsu's name was not mentioned even once, for she had expected him to have at least one complaint, considering he was part of the guild known to cause immense mayhem.

And apparently, he did not. When Makarov finished reading out all the names, he seemed to tremble in rage as everyone looked down in shame, too guilty to even look at their master.

"Do you know how mad the Council were at me because of your actions?" he asked aloud, anger evident in his voice. Lucy waited nervously for the verdict in silence and truthfully, she was expecting the worst. She did not expect the Guild Master to set the papers alight with his magic though. He proceeded to toss the burning papers onto the ground below, which was swiftly intercepted by Natsu. The Salamander promptly devoured the flaming papers in earnest. "Forget about them," Makarov said simply, "Listen up, magic requires you to have a strong mentality and an ample amount of concentration. If you keep worrying about the higher-ups, then you'll never improve! So do not fear the Council fools," He raised both hands into the air. "Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of Fairy Tail!"

The entire hall erupted into cheers and celebration as everyone laughed and smiled. Lucy couldn't help but followed suit.

* * *

That night, a grand feast was held in Fairy Tail. Everyone drank and ate to their heart's content as laughter and cheers filled the hall. While the others partied the night away, Natsu was currently discussing his trip to Era with Guild Master Makarov at the bar.

"So you've found a possible location of another Zeref era relic from another book?" Makarov raised an eyebrow at what the boy had told him. Finding things like that are extremely rare but apparently Lady Luck seemed to favour the boy a lot.

"Yea, that particular book had been stored within the deepest and most remote part of the Grand Library," Natsu explained as he sheepishly looked at the old man, "To tell you the truth, I stumbled on that particular area by accident..."

"You mean you got lost again," It wasn't a question. Makarov saw the sheepish look on Natsu's face and that made him sigh in disbelief, "Seriously Natsu, your sense of direction is just as bad as your motion sickness. I swear if I get another complaint about you wandering into the local woman's bathhouse again..."

"It was an accident, I swear! For some reason, I always end up there whenever I try to go back home alone!" Natsu retorted indignantly, face red in embarrassment while Makarov looked at him sceptically. Seriously, no matter how he tried he would always, by some crazy chance, end up at the bathhouse for some reason.

"Natsu, Natsu!" someone shouted to him from a distance, distracting him from the currently very awkward conversation he was engaging with the old man. As he looked around, he noticed Lucy running towards him with her right hand raised, showing the back of it. On it was the Fairy Tail Guild stamp in pink, "Look, I'm finally part of Fairy Tail!" She told him as she got closer.

"Good for you, Lucy." Natsu smiled at her enthusiasm. Wanting to know how she was faring, he asked, "Getting used to the guild?"

"Yea, feels kinda rowdy but also it feels quite homey…." She nodded. Natsu couldn't help bit chuckled.

"In Fairy Tail, we are all family and as family, we look out for each other." he explained to Lucy. "Again, welcome to the family."

"Thanks..." She replied shyly, a slight blush on her face.

"Anyway, why don't you go and mingle with the others? I'm sure you'll fit right in."

Nodding, Lucy left to socialize with the other members of the guild, who already started treating her like part of the family with some already fighting over who would ask her on a date. Natsu nodded to himself at a job well done and decided to order something to eat from the bar, since the old man was now busy getting drunk on the booze, as per usual.

"The usual, Natsu?"

"Yea, thanks Mira-nee," Natsu nodded gratefully to his adoptive big sister before she went into the kitchen to prepare her 'Natsu Special' which pretty much consisted of dishes set alight by fire and burned to perfection. And in ten minutes, Mirajane returned with a plate of Flaming pasta and a mug of Fire Cola and Natsu began devouring it in earnest.

"I've heard about the incident in Hargeon," her adoptive big sister suddenly said as she smiled at him. "Good work."

"It's nothing really...What kind of hero would I be if I let scums like him do as they please?"

"You'd make a terrible hero."

"Exactly," Natsu smirked, causing the older girl to giggle. As he began to tell Mirajane of his trip to Era, they were joined by Lucy who seemed to have gotten tired from the celebration and the constant scuttle over her, and Elfman who wanted to chat with his adoptive brother.

As the two brothers talked about manly things and guy stuff, Mirajane explained the workings of Fairy Tail and the usual, as per required of all new members to know to Lucy who listened enthusiastically. As he chatted away, Natsu noticed a kid confronting the old man about something. If he remembered correctly, the kid was Romeo Conbolt, son of fellow Fairy Tail mage Macao Conbolt.

"Like I told you, kid." he overheard the two's conversation. Makarov was sitting on top of the bar table hugging a traditional wooden staff, a large mug of beer beside him as he looked at the boy in front of him with one eye open. "Macao's a Fairy Tail mage. He can handle himself on his own."

"But he said he would be back in three days but it's already a week now and he's still not back!" Romeo countered, suppressing the urge to cry. "Please, find my dad!"

"You're starting to annoy me, brat." Makarov took a sip of his booze as he dismissed Romeo's plea. Macao was more than capable of handling the request he took to exterminate the Vulcans on Mt. Hakobe. It would hurt the mage's pride if he sent aid, a sign that Makarov did not have faith in his abilities. Even though he knew that something had gone wrong, he couldn't bring himself to hurt Macao's pride...

"You useless old geezer!" the kid suddenly lashed out and punched Makarov. Yes, the kid slammed his small fist into the Guild Master of Fairy Tail's face, sending him to the back of the bar. Got to hand it to the kid, he must have had balls of steel to do something like that. With it done and done, Romeo fled the guild, crying all the way.

Natsu watched the entire scene with steely eyes. He knew all too well how Romeo must have felt and he was sure as hell he would not let anyone go through the despair and sadness he had gone through all too many times. He knew what must be done.

"Master," he rose to his feet and excused himself from Elfman as he walked over to Makarov, who had just recovered from the punch. Natsu did not even look at him or anyone else. He simply looked forward, at the door. "I'm sorry but I have to do this..." Without waiting for a retort, he left the now silent hall to catch up with the boy with Happy following close behind him, an expression of worry evident on the cat's face.

Everyone in the guild did not say a word. For Natsu to call Makarov by his official honorific, they knew he was serious. They could also hear Makarov letting out a long exasperated sigh before he emptied his mug of booze, muttering something like 'stop trying to be a hero.'

Lucy, who had a first-hand view of the entire incident, was at a loss for words. She may not have known Natsu for long but through her short interactions with him, she had thought of him as a nice and friendly guy. Natsu's behaviour just now was a completely new one to her and she wondered what made him did what he did.

"Natsu's adoptive father, the dragon Igneel, disappeared when he was only ten years old," Mirajane explained, seemingly having understood Lucy's expression. She wore a sad smile as she explained it to new Fairy Tail mage, "When he saw little Romeo, I think he felt a little kinship with him...besides, all of us here have burdens to shoulder and painful pasts that haunts us, especially Natsu..."

Everyone, including the Guild Master nodded solemnly. Natsu had been through a lot to get where he's at now and every Fairy Tail mage understood the pain and suffering he had to bear...ever since _that _incident two years ago. It was the reason why no one tried to stop him when he went after Romeo.

Lucy wanted to ask Mirajane if that part about Natsu's father being a dragon wasn't just a joke but she knew now wasn't the time for it. As she took in the new information, she noticed that Mirajane gazing sadly at the guild doors.

"Lucy-chan, I know I'm asking a lot but," Mirajane pleaded to her, surprising Lucy, "Go with Natsu and make sure that he doesn't do anything reckless...Strong as he may be, he values the lives of others more than his own and that usually gets him in trouble."

Again everyone nodded in unison. Natsu's obsession with helping and protecting others were borderline extreme. He'd gladly put himself in harm's way just so that he could save others. It was the trait that always had his adoptive siblings and Makarov worry to no end. Most of the time, he'd return from a mission with bruises or wounds ranging from minor to potentially lethal and really, it terrified the guild members immensely at the prospect of him dying while on a mission.

Lucy didn't know what to say so she simply nodded. It was kinda surprising that a newcomer like her would be asked to accompany a senior mage like Natsu. She looked at the Guild Master, who returned his nod of approval, and then proceeded to the direction headed off too as the entire guild looked on.

* * *

Lucy was able to catch up with the Fire mage and his cat just as they were about to head out. At first Natsu was surprised that she wanted to accompany them since she was still a new member, but quickly welcomed her intentions. Happy offered her a fish as a sign of friendship, which she hesitantly accepted before giving it back to the cat after it kept staring at the fish. She really didn't want it anyway so it was a win-win situation.

As their journey began, they manage to hitch a ride on a passing wagon which was heading for Mt. Hakobe and Natsu had degenerated into a muttering statue once again as soon as the wagon started moving, leaving Lucy to converse with...a blue cat. Out of boredom, she asked Happy whether it was true that Natsu was raised by a dragon.

"Aye, Natsu was raised by the dragon Igneel." Happy replied matter-of-factly, resulting in the female mage to gape at the cat. She had thought that dragons were the stuff of legends. To hear that someone was raised by a dragon was a real eye-opener. "Igneel was also the one that taught him Dragon Slayer Magic, a type of Lost Magic."

"Wow, that's incredible!" Lucy took a glance at Natsu, who was still ignoring the conversation in favour of reciting his reality substitution mantra. She couldn't help but sweatdropped at the dragon slayer. She then noticed Happy staring curiously at her Celestial Keys she had strapped to the left side of her belt.

"Those are cool looking keys, Luigi." Happy said distractingly, still unable to get her name right, much to her growing annoyance.

"It's Lucy, you stupid cat!" she glared at Happy but sighed as the cat decided to ignore her correction with a half-hearted 'Aye'. "These are my Celestial Gate Keys and I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage, a mage that makes a contract with Stellar Spirits and summon them to fight for or support the mage."

"It's rare to find Celestial Spirit Mages these days," Natsu suddenly said in a shaky, almost inaudible voice, surprising Lucy. "We've...ugh...never had one in Fairy Tail before..." After that, he returned to his ever trusty mantra again. As Lucy sweatdropped, she couldn't help but be a slight bit proud that she was the first of her kind to be in Fairy Tail.

Just then, the wagon stopped moving and according to the wagon driver, this was as far as he could go. Natsu, who had also recovered his spunk as soon as the wagon stopped, thanked the driver before the three of them disembarked the wagon. Outside, they were greeted with bone chilling, zero degree winds. Lucy instinctively hugged herself as her body shivered as the mountain's merciless winds embraced her delicate body and worst yet, she had forgotten to bring a coat with her in her rush.

Suddenly, she felt something warm covering her back and as she looked, she realized Natsu had placed his cape on her.

"It'll keep you warm," Natsu simply said as he stood there undisturbed by the environment. Lucy nodded in appreciation to him, noting a better view of his well-toned body and his Fairy Tail tattoo on his right shoulder, "We should probably head up higher into the mountain. Vulcans make their homes in the caves up there."

Having realized that she had been staring at the wrong places for far too long, she blushed in embarassment and nodded dumbly at him, desperately trying to banish the dirty thoughts in her head.

"Aren't you cold, Natsu?" she asked.

"I'm fine. My Fire Dragon Slayer Magic keeps me warm all the time, so this is noth-"

He was interrupted by a loud crash behind the Celestial Spirit Mage, who screamed in surprise. Natsu immediately sprang into action; his greatsword drawn and assuming a stance, with his sword swung over his right shoulder and held by his right hand leaving his left hand free. As the cloud of snow cleared, the three say their attacker.

The Vulcan stood almost two men high, its white fur providing excellent camouflage in the snowy terrain and contrasted with a black bottom. This Take-Over using beast had muscles that would make any body builder green with envy. The Vulcan sniffed around and set its gaze on Lucy, who was still shaken up.

"Woman!" it roared out, before immediately grabbing the fear stricken girl with its large and powerful arms. "I like woman!"

"Ah, Natsu! It got Lucy! I wonder if it likes fish." And there was Happy's useless contribution to the situation.

"Shut up and do something, you stupid cat!" Lucy screamed, still struggling to get free.

Natsu did not hesitate. His greatsword was suddenly engulfed in reddish orange flames that burned so bright that it particularly lit up the entire area. That had instantly drawn the attention of the Vulcan. It, upon seeing Natsu and the burning sword, immediately jumped a safe distance away from what it perceived as a dangerous threat. Its instinct told it to flee as far away as possible but its fear prevented that. The human it was facing was exuding an aura that screamed death if the Vulcan made one wrong move.

"...Put the girl down," Natsu ordered, readying a lunging strike if the beast so much as tried anything stupid. His eyes held no emotion as he gazes at the beast. He was in his swordsman mode now and there is no room for emotions in any battle, "Last chance, beast. Let the girl go or I'll have to make you."

The Vulcan fumed as it heard the human. That human had the audacity to order - ORDER! - it around. Angered, it tossed Lucy away and immediately charge forward towards Natsu in fury. Luckily for the Celestial Spirit Mage, she had been intercepted by Happy who had activated his Aera wings and grabbed onto her waist with his tail.

"Lucy, are you alright?"

"Y-Yea, I'm fine Happy. Thanks."

"Aye, but we'll need to get away from the battle." Happy pointed at the spot where Natsu and the beast were engaged in an intense one on one battle, with Natsu gaining the upper hand as the battle went on. "It's too dangerous."

Lucy wholeheartedly agreed with Happy for once. Happy flew over to a nearby hill and dropped her there. The hill was a good vantage point to witness Natsu's battle. Watching the battle silently, she knew the battle was completely out of her league just as she saw Natsu deliver a painful strike to the beast's gut. Truthfully, she was also very impressed with Natsu's skill.

"I smell woman!" yet another familiar roar was heard. Lucy stared in muted horror as another Vulcan appeared a few feet away from the small hill and slowly approaching Happy and her.

"Not good! Natsu's still fighting the other Vulcan and can't help us!" Happy panicked as he hid behind her. "What do we do, Lucy?"

Lucy ran her options in her head. Running was simply out of the question and Natsu was still engaging the other one so he couldn't help. The only option left is to stand and fight. Having no other choice, she settled herself and selected one of her Celestial Spirit keys from her belt. It was time to prove herself!

"Open the Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" she invoked as the key in her hand glowed brightly. As the light faded, a huge humanoid stood in front of Lucy. The being called Taurus was heavily muscled and athletic, the body covered in black and white patterns. Two horns jutted out from his forehead. That and the nose ring gave him the appearance of a bull. Taurus wore what seemed to be swimming briefs and a twin bladed axe rested on his back.

"Ooh, Lucy-chan! Such nice body as usual! It's moo-re amazing than last time!" Taurus...mooed? His eyes were love-shaped as he molested Lucy with his eyes.

Lucy palmed her face. She had forgotten that Taurus was also a huge pervert despite him being one of the twelve golden keys she had.

"Taurus, now isn't the time for it." Lucy told the Golden Bull with a sigh. "We're in a battle!"

"Ooh! Is someone after your nice body?" he said it in the most disturbing way possible. He then noticed the Vulcan approaching them. "So that is the criminal who wish to defile your nice body?" Lucy shivered at the thought but nodded, too tired to correct the Stellar Spirit. Taurus narrowed his eyes at the foul beast that dared to try to corrupt his Master's wonderfully nice body! He drew his axe. His master's body was in peril. "Unforgivable! None shall touch Lucy-chan's delicate body!" And with that, he charged

As Taurus began his engagement with the Vulcan, Lucy covered her face with her hands in sheer embarrassment. If anyone saw her face right now, they would have noticed the intense blush on her face.

"You have weird friends, Lucy."

"Shut up..." she whispered. Oh, how she wanted to dig a hole and crawl inside right now...

Meanwhile, Natsu's battle with the other Vulcan was close to an end as the Vulcan was no match for the Fire Dragon Slayer in both strength and agility. The beast's attacks were like an open book and Natsu was able to dodge and deflect them easily, countering with his own attacks. Burnt marks covered the entire Vulcan's body while Natsu was without as much as a scratch.

Weaving through a barrage of punches from the beast, Natsu began channelling more magic into his greatsword. It was time to end this. As the flames engulfing the sword grew bigger, he unleashed the collected energy into a devastating fire attack.

"**Sword of the Fire Dragon: Fire Claw!**"

Scorching hot flames in the form of a claw arched from his sword as he swung it at the Vulcan's torso. Caught by surprise, the beast did not have time to react as fire met flesh. The Vulcan roared in pain before being blown away by an explosion at the end of the flaming attack.

Natsu returned his greatsword back to its strap but kept his guard up. No telling if there were more of them out there. Just then, his enhanced sense of smell caught wind of another Vulcan's scent in the direction of a nearby hill. His eyes widen as he also identified Happy's and Lucy's scent as well as another who he couldn't identify. He advanced towards the hill post haste, fearing the worst.

But as it turned out, his worries were unfounded. As he reached the hill, he saw the Vulcan unconscious on the snowy ground while Lucy stood with Happy and an individual that looked like...a cow? As he approached the trio, he noticed the cow-looking man scrutinizing him cautiously. He reacted by simply shrugging.

"It seems like I was worried for nothing." he said out loud with a grin planted on his face. "Good job taking care of the Vulcan."

"Um, thanks," Lucy smiled sheepishly at the Dragon Slayer, rubbing the back of her head. All she did was stay behind and support Taurus so she really couldn't take all the credit. "My Stellar Spirit did most of the work though..."

"No, without Lucy-chan's help, I would have been hard pressed to defeat the beast this quickly," Taurus retorted to his master, deeply touched by her humility. It was why he gave Lucy his key. She regarded him and other Stellar Spirits not as tools or weapons, but as friends and comrades. She was the first Celestial Spirit Mage he had ever met that was like that. Oh, and she has a nice figure too.

"In any case, a job well done," Natsu nodded approvingly. Lucy had the potential to grow into a remarkable mage in the years to come. "All we have to now is to search for any signs of Macao..."

"Natsu, look!" Happy pointed at the unconscious Vulcan, its body glowing white.

"Wha, what's happening to it?" Lucy was slightly taken aback. Beasts don't glow after you defeat them. Having already dismissed Taurus, she stood warily behind Natsu.

"Take Over Magic." Happy simply said, his eyes had the look of slight horror on them. "A Caster type magic that allows the caster to take over the form of another individual and use it to fight."

"...And Vulcans are known to be frequent users of Take Over Magic, abducting people and taking over their bodies..." Natsu continued, face as pale as the snow. Macao had taken up a quest to take down Vulcans and if his hunch was correct, "Macao..."

Sure enough, the glowing light dispersed, revealing a familiar sight. Macao Conboltlay where the Vulcan was without his shirt and coat, with a gaping wound on his exposed chest. Lucy gasped in horror as Natsu and Happy ran forward to their fallen comrade.

"Macao!" Natsu pumped his arms and hands with heat to try and keep Macao warm as he inspected his wounds. His face was grim as he assessed the wound. The open wound was deep and somehow still fresh. It seemed like the Vulcan took over Macao when he had been seriously injured. "Macao, hang in there! You're going to fine." He turned his head to his female partner, "Lucy, do you know first aid?"

"Y-Yea." was her simple reply. She had learnt it before she had set out on her journey, just in case she needed to use it in the long run. Now was the time to put her practice to good use. She approached Macao and knelt down to inspect the wound. She squirmed slightly at so much blood but Natsu placed his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that he was with her. But even if she could bandage the wound, she needed to first close the wound first or risked infection. She relayed her thoughts to Natsu and his expression turn grim once again.

"We've got no choice then..." he decided, a hint of sadness in his voice, "I'll burn the wound close with my fire."

"Are you sure it'll work, Natsu?" Happy chipped in as he removed a roll of bandages from his pack and gave it to Lucy.

"It's the only choice we have to save Macao," Natsu gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn't just let his fellow mage die just like that. If using his magic could save Mario's life, then as sure as hell, he'll do it. No one's dying today, not on his watch! Removing his gauntlets, he placed his hands on the wound and began channelling a low intensity fire through them. Macao grunted in pain as his wound began to close, leaving a huge scar in its place. "Stay with me, Macao. Romeo's waiting for you back home."

"R-Romeo..." Macao managed to let out.

"Don't leave him without a father, Macao. He needs you!" Natsu encouraged, sweat rolling down his face as he finished closing up the wound. He suddenly had a deep appreciation for doctors and their line of work. Once he was done, he let Lucy handle the rest while he stood beside her.

"Damn...I only managed to take down 18 of em before I was defeated and taken over...How am I supposed to face Romeo now…" Macao muttered weakly. Lucy was taken aback by the revelation. 18 Vulcans? Just how strong were Fairy Tail mages?

"Save your strength, Macao. I'm sure Romeo would still be proud of you," Natsu helped him up to his feet, which resulted a pained grunt from his fellow mage with Lucy flanking his left, just in case Macao needed additional support and Happy flying above. "Let's get you back to Magnolia; back to Romeo."

All he got from Macao was an appreciative nod and grunt. It would take them some time to reach Magnolia, considering the circumstances, but they were going home; back to Fairy Tail and Romeo.

* * *

Romeo had only wanted to show his friends that his father wasn't a useless mage like they claimed all mage's were. They had belittled him for having a mage as a father. They mocked him and his father...and he was tired of it! So he asked his dad to do something that would make them stop their insults. Now he regretted ever asking. His dad had taken up a quest to take down beasts known as Vulcans. He learnt that Vulcans were tough monsters to defeat so he encouraged his dad before he left.

He promised to return in three days. Three days he waited but his father never returned. Thinking that he might have been delayed, Romeo waited a few more days for him. Then, a week passed and still no signs of his father's return. It was then that he knew something had happened to him. He tried to ask the guild his father was part of but they had refused him, reasoning that his father was strong enough to handle himself. Well, he didn't actually take their explanation too well; if punching the Guild Master in the face was anything to go by.

He was powerless to do anything on his own and he felt so useless. Just as he was about to give up all hope, a mage from the guild that had dismissed his claims told him to that he will find his father. It had been a full day now since then and Romeo continued to wait for their return. He wanted to believe; to believe that his father was alright and the Fairy Tail mage's promise.

"Romeo..." a familiar voice called out to him from the gates. There he saw his father, being shouldered by Natsu, slowing walking towards him.

With tears forming on his eyes, he ran to his father. They embraced with Romeo constantly apologizing for his selfishness. Macao simply smiled as he hugged his son.

"Next time your friends tease you, ask them...if their old man ever taken down 18 Vulcans!" Macao grinned at his son.

As the father and son shared a happy reunion, Natsu motioned for Lucy and Happy to return to the guild. Their work was done and they were no need for them to be there anymore. But as they left, they heard Romeo's voice calling out to them.

"Natsu-nii! Happy! Lucy-nee! Thank you!"

For the first time in many years, Lucy gave a genuine smile. Who knew helping others could feel so satisfying. She could see Natsu and Happy smiling while bumping their fists or paws...whatever.

"I've just thought of a great idea!" Happy suddenly announced, "Why don't the three of us team up? We'd make an excellent team!"

Lucy looked at Happy sceptically. A team? She admitted that Natsu was a powerful mage but to team up with her? She wasn't a strong and skilled like him, heck, she had begun being a mage a year ago.

"Hmm...That's not really a bad idea," Lucy had to do a double take when she heard Natsu say that. "You seemed quite capable, so why not?"

"Yay! Natsu can be the muscle and I'll be the team mascot!" Happy then pointed at Lucy, "And Lucy will be a waitress!"

"Oi, what do you mean a waitress? This isn't a cafe, you stupid cat!"

"Ah, Lucy's angry! Save me, Natsu!"

Natsu simply laughed at the two's antics. He had a good feeling about his newly formed team. As the sun set in the town of Magnolia, Lucy wondered what's in store for her and her new team. Little did she know, it was the start of an adventure and friendship that she would never forget…

-To be continued-

**AN: Sorry for the late update. Had a serious case of procastinatus these couple of weeks. Anyway here is the latest chapter and hope you like it. Also, I plan to skip the Daybreak arc because...it wasn't really that important storywise. I'm going straight to the Eisenwald arc where Natsu will get to go all out so look forward to that.**

** Tobi Fan 123: There will be slight changes to canon but overall, it'll still be the same. Although, I plan to make Lucy a slight bit stronger than in canon because I find that canon!Lucy is kinda weak compared to the rest of the guys.**

**Anyway, the next chapter might be late because I'm taking a break (just finished my exams, so yea). **


	7. Chapter 6 Eisenwald

**The Path of a Hero**

Chapter 6 – Eisenwald

Lucy Heartfilia was feeling under the weather as she sat at Fairy Tail's bar. She had just finished a guild quest regarding a certain book with her new partners, Natsu and Happy and to be honest, she was feeling dejected. The requirement of the quest was for her to destroy any trace of a book called Daybreak by the client. The book was apparently owned the Duke of Evaroos, who owned the most lavish and expensive mansion in the whole of the town. In addition, the reward money had been increased to a whopping two million jewels, according to the client! That was a lot of jewels for a simple quest!

Following Natsu's advice, they decided to infiltrate the Duke's mansion via the air, using Happy's Aera wings. Upon reaching the Duke's private library, they had managed to locate the book (thanks to Natsu's dumb luck) and to Lucy's surprise, the book was written by Kemu Zaleon! Being a huge fan of his work, Lucy had marveled at the discovery of this unknown book while Natsu had suggested that they dispose of the book as per requested and be done with it. Of course, Lucy had objected. She told the frowning Dragon slayer to at least let her read the contents of the book before they burn it and thus began reading the book in earnest.

Before Natsu could object to Lucy's crazy idea, the Duke himself burst into the scene and to be honest, things got out of hand soon thereof. After skimming through Daybreak, her eyes were wide upon realization of the writings. She had told Natsu to buy her some time while she tried to understand that was within the book, before running out of the library with Happy following close behind. She still felt a bit guilty about abandoning her partner like that but Natsu had assured her that it was nothing to worry about but that didn't actually made her feel any better…

So once she had finally finished deciphering the hidden meaning within Daybreak, thanks to her Gale Force Reading Glasses, she had finally understood the meaning of the entire book. But just then, the Duke interrupted her, having basically emerged from the walls themselves. Revealing himself as a mage as well, he demanded Lucy to tell him the secrets hidden in Daybreak, which the blonde immediately refused. That had infuriated the Duke and he proceeded to bombard Lucy with a flurry of attacks, forcing her to summon her Celestial Spirit of the Crab, Cancer. Apparently, Happy was very, very disappointed with the spirit. Just when she thought that she had the upper hand, Evaroo too performed a Celestial Spirit summon of his own; Virgo. By that time, Natsu had rejoined her and Happy and they decided to team up, with Natsu handling Virgo while she and Cancer took care of Evaroo.

It took merely minutes to defeat them, what with Natsu's incredible Swords Magic and Lucy's Celestial Spirit, Evaroo and Virgo stood no chance at all. After that, the trio returned to their client; book on tow and to Natsu's chagrin. Things had gone well from there but at the end, they did not accept the reward from their client.

"We didn't actually accomplish what was requested of us, so we can't accept the reward." Natsu had told her and the client back then.

She was kind of disappointed at first but upon realizing that their client wasn't even rich, she felt that it was the right thing to do and understood what Natsu had meant with his words. They would have to scrounge up everything they had to pay their reward and that just didn't seem right with her. But that didn't make her feel any better. She could have had a million jewels to spend but alas it was not meant to be. But on the bright side, she had finally completed her first official quest from her new guild and that was something she found somewhat comforting at least…

Now, she sat at Fairy Tail's signature bar drowning her sorrows on orange juice and mulling over how she was going to pay for her new room's rent.

"Something on your mind, Lucy?" Fairy Tail's very own cover girl asked her fellow guild member behind the counter.

"Ah, it's nothing really….just wondering if I should go do a quest or something."

"Running low of jewels?" cue Lucy's sheepish look. "You did the right thing in not accepting the reward, Lucy. From what I heard from the Master, the client was lying about willing to double the pay. In fact, he couldn't even afford to pay for the standard quest registration fee…"

"I see…So Natsu was right all along." Lucy remembered how Natsu had first rejected accepting any form of reward from the client. It seemed like he saw through the act.

"Natsu's quite good at identifying if someone was lying or not."

"Speaking of Natsu, I saw him ran out of the guild with a panicked look on his face a moment ago..."

"Ah, seems like he's forgotten his weekly visits to the town's orphanage again…" Mirajane explained to Lucy as she giggled, "He gets some sort of punishment from the kids everytime he's late for his visits."

"An orphanage, huh…I can picture him telling stories and playing with kids." Lucy smiled at the thought.

"Well, Natsu's always trying to help others out so it's not unusual to see him helping out around the town."

As the two girls get engrossed on the topic of the future hero-to-be, Gray Fullbuster arrived at the bar and sat down on the stool adjacent to Lucy's and ordered something cold to eat before turning his attention to Lucy.

"So you're Lucy, yea?" a nodded from the blonde mage and Gray continued, "Heard you and Natsu made a team together," Another slow nod and he smirked, "I'm not sure why you decided to team up with that stupid hero-wanabee, since I heard you did an excellent job on your first quest."

"Well, I couldn't have done it so easily without Natsu's support…" she told the Ice-Make mage. Apparently, that had gotten a scowl from Gray and Lucy wondered why he seemed to hate Natsu so much. In addition, she wondered why he was suddenly in his boxers. Just a minute ago he was still fully clothed and now he…wasn't…

"Gray, your clothes." Mirajane stated as she placed his ordered drink in front of him.

Gray blinked for a second before swearing and went off to find his attire somewhere around the guild. How he could have lost his clothes in a matter of seconds was quite impressive…in a very disturbing way. Lucy didn't want to dwell in it any longer than she has to.

Then suddenly, Natsu barged into the guild; eyes wide in apparent shock and fear as he searched around for someone. Lucy noticed that a few of the guild members – she identified Macao as one of the few – shuddered as if understanding what Natsu had apparently saw, which puzzled the girl. Once the panicked dragon slayer saw Gray at a corner redressing himself, he strode towards him immediately and grabbed him by his collar.

"You got a problem with me, flame breath?" Gray asked; his expression neutral but one could see that he was a tad bit annoyed.

"As much as I'd like to beat the crap out of your pretty face, I don't think now would be the time for that." Natsu said with a sigh as he loosen his grip, "Erza's back."

Immediately, the entire hall went dead silent upon Natsu's word. Lucy could see the horrified look on many of her guildmates and truthfully, she was quite confused. She wondered how one name could cause a rambunctious group like her guildmates suddenly cower in apparent fear.

She didn't have to ponder long as the said person entered the guild...carrying an ornate horn almost ten times her size over her shoulders. Her presence was quite intimidating as she strolled down towards the bar.

"W-Welcome back, Ezra..." Loki greeted her nervously from amongst the group.

"It is good to be back." the now named woman replied as she set the extremely large souvenir down with a loud thump. "Is the master around? I need to inform him about something."

"Master isn't in at the moment, Ezra," Mirajane informed the red-haired mage as she placed a drink on the bar for her fellow mage. "He's attending the monthly regional guild master meeting. He should be back by tomorrow though."

"I see," Ezra accepted the drink and took a sip of it, savoring the intense flavor of her usual drink. She noticed Happy sitting on the bar and munching on some delicious fish and called out to the cat. "Happy, have you seen Natsu or Gray?"

"Aye, they're over there!" Happy pointed towards the corner of the hall where the two had stealthily relocated to and speaking to each other in hushed tone.

"Natsu, Gray," Ezra spoke in a much stricter tone as she eyed the two. "What are you two doing over there?"

"N-Nothing much, Erza," Gray was the first to speak up of the two, his voice submissive and a hint of fear in it.

"We were just settling our differences like civilized humans," continued Natsu, his expression composed and his voice slightly shaky.

Lucy was dumbstruck at what she was currently witnessing. She knew Natsu was a strong and capable mage and Gray was too, if their rivalry was something to say about. To see two powerful mages cowering before this Ezra, it speaks volumes of how strong she was compared to the two or how scary she was.

"I see...It's good to see you two getting along," Ezra said with a smile, "Good friends often engage in friendly squabbles and it helps reinforce their friendship."

'More like making things worst,' Lucy mentally commented as she watched in amusement as two bitter enemies tried to act as though they were the best of pals. Frankly, it was rather entertaining.

"But now isn't the time," Ezra said in her more serious tone as she faced Natsu and Gray. "I'd like you two to accompany me on an important mission."

Dead silence greeted her as the entire guild contemplated what she had just announced. Usually, it was rare for mages in the guild to team up for a mission unless it was absolutely necessary or they are already in a team. Natsu and Gray would more likely beat each other senseless than to work together. In addition to that, the two were A-class mages in their own right so they were more than capable of handling most mission available at the board on the 1st floor. If Ezra, an S-class mage, wanted to form a team then the quest was most certainly an S-class quest; a highly dangerous one if she needed a team.

Natsu and Gray glared at each other before sighing in defeat as both nodded solemnly, fearing the Titania's wrath.

"So what is this mission about?" Gray asked as he somehow managed to lose his clothings...again.

"Unfortunately, we are short on time so I'll explain everything on the way," Erza explained as she began heading out the guild, "Meet up at the station in fifteen minutes."

And with that, everything returned back to normal with the occasional whispers of the creation of the strongest team in Fairy Tail. Lucy had asked Mirajane about it and was surprised at what she heard. Apparently, Natsu and Gray had the qualifications to participate in the S-class Trails and be awarded the prestigious rank of S-class, if they succeed. What was more surprising was the fact that both of them had refused to participate in the trails, claiming that they were not ready.

"Lucy," she heard her name being called. She realized it was Natsu who had called her,"What are you waiting for? We leave in fifteen minutes."

"Eh?"

"You're my partner," Natsu explained dryly, "It's only logical that you'd be coming along as well."

Lucy didn't know if she should feel honored to go on a mission with an S-class mage or horrified that she was about to go on a mission that might be her last. She didn't have time to either accept or reject the offer as she was unwillingly dragged off by Happy as Natsu trailed behind. She wondered if this would become a regular occurrence from now onwards.

* * *

"So you are the new member, Lucy was it?" Erza greeted Lucy before their departure at Magnolia Station. "When I heard that Natsu had formed a team, I had assumed that it was with Gray."

Lucy heard a shout that sounded like 'Like hell I'd team up with that hero wannabe!' He shut up after Erza gave him a glare before she returned her attention back to the celestial mage.

"In any case, welcome to Fairy Tail," Erza said with a sincere smile,"Let's do our best!"

Lucy nodded in with the same sentiments. She vowed to do her utmost best right then and there. After all, she was in the presence of an S class mage and she didn't want to make a fool out of herself. As she chatted with Erza, she noticed that a certain pink-haired dragonslayer was completely missing from the group.

"Speaking of which," She started as she looked around, "Where is Natsu? He was with us a moment ago."

Erza gave her a strange look before smiling,"You do not need to worry, Lucy. He's over there."

Lucy looked at the direction where Erza pointed at and sure enough, at a dark corner of the station was one Natsu Dragneel with a dark cloud of gloom hanging over his head. Lucy raised an eyebrow at yet another weird scene with the hero wannabe. Happy was beside him, patting him on the back and offering him some fish.

"Um...is he always like that?" she asked.

"Just the usual," Gray interjected. When Lucy gave him a blank look, he sighed and elaborated, "He's just depressed about how he always get motion sickness whenever he rides any modes of transportation."

"How could I become a hero if I have such an obvious weakness?!" Natsu wailed from the corner as everyone sweatdropped.

"Well in any case, let us get on board before we miss the train," Erza suggested as she dragged her cart load of luggages to the luggage boy. The expression on his face was priceless.

* * *

"So Erza, what's this mission about?" Gray asked as he was seated beside the Titania, "I believe it's time you tell us about it."

"Indeed," she nodded, "During my last mission, I'd heard a group talking about something called Lullaby. Thinking that it was nothing important at the time, I ignored it." She frowned before continuing,"I had only learned of what this Lullaby was while I was heading back to Magnolia..."

"Lullaby," Lucy repeated her words, showing signs of recognition, "Isn't it some sort relic from the dark mage Zeref's era?"

"Indeed," it was Natsu that replied, surprising the rest of the team sans Happy. Of course, his eyes were shut tight and his complextion was slightly pale. "Lullaby is a sort of Death Magic created by Zeref during the peak of his power. Supposedly, he infused a demon into the relic..."

"Then, it is as I feared," Erza said grimly, "I was also able to identify one of the persons in the group as a member of Eisenwald."

"Eisenwald?" Lucy repeated, not familiar with the the name.

"They are a dark guild specializing in assassinations," Erza explained to the blonde,"Which was why they were labeled as a dark guild in the first place."

Lucy knew of Dark guilds. She had been given a basic rundown of all types of guilds by Mirajane prior to her joining of Fairy Tail.

_"Guilds are divided into three categories; Legal guilds, Independent guilds and Dark guilds. Legal guilds are guilds sanctioned by the Magic Council to do quests and such, like Fairy Tail. Independent guilds that do not adhere to Magic Council rules, instead, they are left to do whatever they want, so long as they don't cause any problems. Lastly, there are the Dark guilds. These guilds have been condemned by the Council for violating the rules. Unlike the Independent guilds, all Dark guilds have a bounty on them and for good reasons as they can be extremely strong and dangerous..." _ Lucy remembered Mirajane's lecture. If they were going after a Dark guild, then they would be in for a battle and she wondered if she could hold her weight against seasoned, merciless dark mages.

"Then we've gotta stop them," Gray said coolly, "If that relic is as dangerous as Natsu claims, no telling what sort of things Eisenwald has planned for it."

"Indeed," Erza nodded, "We will be heading to the town of Oshibana, the place where I saw the Eisenwald mages. Hopefully we can make it in time..."

As soon as she said those words, the train slowed down and before they knew it, had stopped completely - much to Natsu's relief - in the middle of nowhere. Then an announcement came over the speakers.

"Attention all passengers, we seemed to be having problems at the Oshibana Station. Please keep calm and stay in your seats while the problems are rectified. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Seems like they've already made their move," Natsu spoke as he stood up from his seat, eager to get out of this goddess-forsaken transportation. "We'd better get to Oshibana before its too late."

"Right," Erza agreed, "We'll use my Magic Wagon. It'll get us there in no time."

When Natsu heard the words wagon, he paled at the thought of riding that infernal contraption again and suppressed the urge to empty his stomach. It was going to be a long, long day...

-To be continued-

**AN: First of, I apologize for my two month hiatus. My laptop's hard disk suffered a catastrophic failure 2 months ago and with it, 100gb worth of precious data were lost, including every chapter of Path of a Hero. For a month since then, I've been in a semi-emo state and didn't have any motivation to continue...until I got some reviews encouraging me to update. So thanks for the reviews and encouragement!**

**So we're now at the Lullaby Arc and in the next chapter, you'll finally see Natsu in action against opponents that aren't wild animals. So look forward to it! Also, if you have any questions or ideas, don't hesitate to contact me via review or PM.**

**Oh yea, its good to be back!**

**Edit: Fixed a minor error. I forgot that it was in the town of Oshibana and not Onibus (which I spelt wrong as well). **


	8. Chapter 8

Those reading this might be thinking: "Oh crap, he's gonna discontinue this story!" but rest assure I'm still alive and I'm not discontinuing Path of a Hero. I will be doing some re-writes of the previous chapters and such (I had writer's block and the latest chapter of Fairy Tail got more of my ideas going). I'll be doing some modifications to some of the chapters but the essence of the story will still be the same. Sorry if any of you are expecting the next chapter so please bear with me.

For now, I will see you later.

[This AN will be replaced with the actual chapter once ready.]


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